Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government further to the written answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 11 February 2025 (HL4483), what research activities the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has conducted to provide further evidence on the environmental impacts of fipronil and imidacloprid in pet flea and tick treatments.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has undertaken a number of research activities to strengthen the evidence base on how fipronil and imidacloprid from topical flea and tick treatments may enter and affect the environment. Recently published VMD‑funded studies (2024–25) demonstrated that spot‑on flea and tick products can contribute to environmental residues through wastewater pathways and when treated dogs swim, providing the first UK‑specific exposure data for these routes. To build on this, the VMD has commissioned further work to address key evidence gaps identified at the 2025 Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) stakeholder workshop, including exposure modelling to better quantify environmental inputs and research on how pet owner behaviours influence environmental outcomes.

In 2025 the VMD launched a national pet owner survey, which closed in January 2026, to provide an indicative baseline of current pet owner product use and disposal practices. Additional behavioural research through the University of Plymouth will complement these findings.

These research outputs will support targeted communications, stewardship initiatives and future regulatory decision‑making.